Cholesterol Test Knowledge

You can test your knowledge on cholesterol and heart disease. The information given in this page on cholesterol is a general guidance only. It is in no way a medical advice. Please consult your doctor.

Cholesterol / Heart Knowledge Test

Test your knowledge on cholesterol or heart disease.

For both men and women, heart disease is the number one cause of death. You can test your knowledge on cholesterol here. Read the statements given in the left column and answer on the right column.

Statement	Answer
High blood cholesterol is one of the risk factors for heart disease.	Correct. High blood cholesterol is one of the risk factors for heart disease. The other factors are high blood pressure, overweight, cigarette smoking, diabetes and lack of exercise.
Saturated fats raise your blood cholesterol level more than anything else in your diet.	Correct These fats are found in largest amounts in dairy products such as butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, cream, and fatty meats and also in vegetable oils such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils.
All vegetable oils lower blood cholesterol levels.	Wrong Vegetable oils such as coconut, palm and palm kernel oils, contain more saturated fat than unsaturated fat, they do not help lower blood cholesterol. Most vegetable oils, like canola, corn, olive, safflower, soybean and sunflower oils contain mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which help lower blood cholesterol when used in place of saturated fats. Read, Which oils are good cooking oils for health?
A blood cholesterol level below 240 mg/dL is desirable for adults.	Wrong A blood cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL is high and increases risk of heart disease. A high level of LDL-cholesterol and a low level of HDL-cholesterol increase risk of heart disease. HDL-cholesterol level below 40 mg/dL is considered a risk factor for heart disease. All adults should have their blood cholesterol level checked once every 5 years if not more.
Should children's blood cholesterol levels be checked.	Yes Children from families in which a parent has high blood cholesterol or in which a parent or grandparent has had heart disease at the age of 55 years or younger, should have their cholesterol levels tested. For other children, the best way to reduce the risk of adult heart disease is to use a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet. All children over the age of 2 years and all adults should adopt a heart healthy eating pattern to avoid the risk of a coronary heart disease at later age.
Women can not have high blood cholesterol level and heart disease.	Wrong Women before menopause have cholesterol levels lower than men of the same age. After menopause, a women's LDL-cholesterol level goes up increasing her risk for heart disease.
Can lowering cholesterol levels help people who have already had a heart attack?	Yes Reducing blood cholesterol levels can greatly slow down the buildup of cholesterol and fat in coronary arteries and thereby significantly reduce the chances of a second heart attack.
To lower your blood cholesterol level you should eat less saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol, and lose weight if you are overweight.	Correct You may reduce your blood cholesterol level by 10-50 mg/dL.
Reading food labels can help you.	Correct Laearn to read the food labels. Look for the list of ingredients, the ingredient in the least amount is listed last and the ingredients in the greatest amount are first. Always look for the amount of saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol and total calories in a serving of the product.